Famous Boxers

Famous For: World champion in eight weight divisions

Eight division world champion, the first to ever accomplish the feat, Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao was named “Fighter of the Decade” in 2009. A southpaw, Pacquiao’s record is an impressive 54-5 with 2 draws. This is one fighter who has received more than his share of nicknames that include: Pac Man, The Nation’s Fist, Destroyer, Mexicutioner and the list goes on.

Famous For: Galveston Giant

The “Galveston Giant” or John Arthur Johnson became the first Black American world boxing heavyweight (179 lbs not more than 201) champion. His reign as champion lasted for seven years. He had a total of 114 fights, he won eighty fights, forty-five by knockouts; twelve draws, fourteen no-contest, and 13 losses. Johnson was an “orthodox” style of boxer.

Famous For: Rumble in the Jungle

Two time World Heavyweight Champion George Foreman was one of the most famous boxers of his time that go with his epic battles against the likes of Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, and Muhammad Ali. In 1968, he won the gold medal at summer Olympics in Mexico City. In his storied boxing career, Foreman compiled seventy-six wins. He was the oldest, at age 45, Heavyweight champion to win the title. His nicknames include, “The Heywood Giant, Big George, and the Punching Preacher.”

Famous For: 1990s Fighter of the Decade

After starting as a boxer in the light middleweight division, Roy Jones Jr. eventually found himself winning the heavyweight title. During the 1990s, Jones received the recognition for being the “Fighter of the Decade.” He garnered a total of 56 wins during his professional career, receiving the title Champion as a Middleweight, Super Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Heavyweight. He was known as “RJ, Captain Hook, Superman, and Junior.”

Famous For: Undefeated Heavyweight boxer

Untied and undefeated in his professional boxing career, former World Heavyweight champion Rocky (Rocco Francis Marchegiano) Marciano, is the only boxer to hold this distinction. He had forty-nine fights, lost none, won 43 by knockout. Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, he has been given the alias “Rock from Brockton” and “Brockton Blockbuster.”

Famous For: WBC Middleweight champion in 2011

Following in the footsteps of his father, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has a record of 47 wins and 1 loss. He won the WBC middleweight title in 2011. He has been rated to fight in two weight classes, Middleweight and Light Heavyweight.

Famous For: Thrilla in Manila

Joseph William “Smokin Joe” Frazier was proclaimed the “undisputed World Heavyweight Champion” in boxing in 1970. In the 1964 Tokyo summer Olympics, Frazier won the gold medal in the heavyweight division. As a professional, Smokin Joe had 32 wins and 4 losses, twice each to Ali and Foreman.

Famous For: Holyfield vs. Tyson, the Bite

With a nickname “The Real Deal”, Evander Holyfield proved that he was just that, the real deal as a boxer. Of his 44 wins, he won 29 by knockout. Some of those wins were at the expense of the likes of Foreman, Holmes, and Mike Tyson, to name a few. Another nickname given to Holyfield was “The Warrior.”

Famous For: The Great Mexican Champion

Considered as Mexico’s greatest fighter, Julio Cesar Chavez is remembered for his punching power, relentless attack against his opponents, and his ability to take the punches. As a Chavez had 107 wins to go with being crowned six times as world champion in the Super Featherweight, Lightweight, and Light Welterweight divisions.

Famous For: Undisputed Champion in 2000

British/Canadian Heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis is viewed by many as one of the greatest fighters of all time. He received a gold medal during the 1988 Seoul summer Olympics. He turned professional in 1989 in which he won forty-one times. At six feet five inches, he had a reach of 84 inches. He has been given the nickname “The Lion” and “Lenny”, though he viewed himself as “the pugilist specialist.”

Famous For: WBC Welterweight champion in 2011

Another southpaw, Victor Ortiz’s fighting record is 29 wins, 4 losses, and 3 draws. In 2011, he won the WBC welterweight title against Andre Berto. He us rated eligible to fight in the welterweight, light welterweight, and light middleweight divisions.

Famous For: The Super Fight vs. Hagler

In the 1980s, Sugar Ray Leonard received the recognition for being the “Boxer of the Decade”. Although he only figured in 40 fights, he won 36 of them, the men he fought against were equally legendary. Representing the USA at the summer Olympics in 1976, we won gold in the light welterweight division. He fought in five divisions, moving up from Welterweight to Light Heavyweight. His battles against fellow Hall of Famers were epic, these include the likes of Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, Wilfred Benitez, and Marvin Hagler.

Famous For: World champion in welterweight division

Current WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley is just getting started in his boxing career. To date, he has won 31 fights with no losses. He won the welterweight title against then champion Manny Pacquiao.

Famous For: Boxing World Heavyweight Champion 1919-1926

Jack Dempsey held boxing’s World Heavyweight Championship belt for seven years, from 1919 to 1926. Because of his aggressive power, Dempsey was one of the most popular boxers in his time. Of the 83 fights he fought in, Dempsey won 65, winning 51 of those by knock-out. He only lost six of the 83. His nicknames include “Manassa Mauler” and “Kid Blackie.”

Famous For: Brown Bomber & Boxing World Heavyweight Champion 1937-1949

As boxing’s World Heavyweight champion for twelve years, of the 70 fights Joe Louis fought, he only experienced three losses, winning 66. Of that victories, he won 52 by knockout. He is viewed as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He had reach of 76″. He was nicknamed the Brown Bomber.

Famous For: best pound for pound boxer

The title of the “greatest boxer” of all time may be given to Sugar Ray Robinson, as an amateur, he had a record of 85-0, 69 won by knockout, forty of those in the first round. Robinson had an “orthodox” style as a boxer. He fought in the welterweight (140 pounds not more than 147) and middleweight (152 pounds not more than 165) divisions of boxing.

Famous For: 1964 rematch against Muhammad Ali

One of the most controversial boxers of his time, Sonny Liston had a record of 50 wins and four losses. He was in the heavyweight division and in 1962 was crowned the World Heavyweight Champion. His most memorable fights were those against Floyd Patterson and Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), whom he each fought two times.

Famous For: his nickname, the Hurricane

The Hurricane, this was the nickname given to middleweight boxer Rubin Carter. He was not tall for a middleweight fighter, but he did have a total of forty fights in which he won 27 of those, 19 by knockout.

Famous For: Raging Bull

LaMotta has been given the nickname of “Raging Bull” and “Bronx Bull” for his bully style of fighting in the ring. As a middleweight and light heavyweight boxer, Jake fought a total of 106 times, winning 93 of those. His storied rivalry against Sugar Ray Robinson, they fought six times, the last had been labeled as boxings version of the “Valentine’s Day Massacre” in which LaMotta was out-boxed, out punched by Robinson, but never knocked down.

Famous For: “No Mas, No Mas”

One of the best fighters to step into the wrong was Panamanian Roberto Duran, the man who had been given the nickname “Manos de Piedra or Hands of Stone.” He fought in five different weight classes, Lightweight, Welterweight, Light and Super Middleweight, and Middleweight. He won 103 times and 70 of those by knockout.

Famous For: Sugar Shane Mosley

As a professional boxer, Shane Mosley has a record of 47 wins and 8 losses. 39 of those wins came via knockout. He held world titles as a Lightweight, Welterweight, and Light Middleweight. As an amateur, Mosley’s official record was 230 wins and twelve losses.

Famous For: Golden Boy

Golden Boy Oscar dela Hoya has won ten world boxing titles in different weight classes beginning in the Super featherweight all the way up to Middleweight, six in all. He won a gold medal at the Olympics in Barcelona, Spain in the lightweight division. His professional boxing record is a respectable 39-6.

Famous For: Easton Assassin

The Easton Assassin, this was how former WBC Heavyweight champion was known. He grew up in the city of Easton in Pennsylvania. He reigned as boxing champion from 1978 through 1983. His record as a professional boxer was 69-6.

Famous For: Marvelous Marvin Hagler

Marvelous, that is what Marvin Hagler is known as. He is a southpaw (left-handed) boxer that fought in the Middleweight division, he has hailed the undisputed World Middleweight Champion over a seven year period, 1980 to 1987. He was involved in 67 fights and won 62. His knockout percentage is the highest among middleweight champions, of the 62 fights he won, he knocked out 52 of his opponents, giving him a 78% knockouts.